| If you are looking for a cat that goes great | | | | Coon usually won't. Though very |
| with children and dogs, is well known for its | | | | people-oriented, they aren't the type of cat |
| wonderful intelligence, outstanding | | | | that will ever likely become overly dependent |
| disposition and loving nature, then you might | | | | upon you. But they do enjoy hanging out with |
| want to consider getting a Maine Coon. The | | | | you, following you around the house and |
| Maine Coon is the oldest natural breed of | | | | getting involved into whatever you happen to |
| longhaired cat in North America and is | | | | be doing, waiting for you by the door of a |
| regarded to be a native to the state of | | | | closed room until you emerge, and choosing to |
| Maine, earning the illustrious title of State | | | | sit in the chair next to you. Maine Coons |
| Cat. They are a particularly sturdy cat | | | | also like to play fetch with their owners. |
| ideally suited to the varied seasons and the | | | | |
| harsh winters in that region and are highly | | | | The Maine Coon has a coat that is different, |
| regarded as outstanding mousers. | | | | too. It's longer in the britches, ruff and |
| | | | stomach, glossy and heavy, making it |
| There are numerous legends that surround the | | | | water-resistant to rain and snow, yet |
| Maine Coon and how it came into existence. | | | | surprisingly shorter on the neck and back to |
| One particular legend claimed that this cat | | | | protect it from tangling in the underbrush. |
| was the product of mating between semi-wild | | | | Also surprising is the fact that even though |
| domestic cats and raccoons. This came about | | | | the Maine Coon is longhaired, its coat is |
| because of the bushy tail and raccoon-like | | | | nearly maintenance-free. There's a Yankee |
| coloring, which indeed led to the name. Still | | | | myth that speaks of Maine Coons weighing |
| another story was that Maine Coon actually | | | | thirty pounds, but it's just a myth. Usually |
| started from six pet cats that were sent to | | | | the males average from thirteen to eighteen |
| Wiscasset, Maine by Marie Antoinette when she | | | | pounds and the females from nine to twelve. |
| planned to escape France during the | | | | |
| Revolution. The truth, as most breeders | | | | Another endearing quality of the Maine Coon |
| believe today, is that the breed probably | | | | is its large, round, tufted feet, which tend |
| sprang into existence as a result of mating | | | | to act like snow shoes. Unlike most cats, |
| between shorthaired domestic casts and | | | | Maine Coons are slow to develop and don't |
| longhair cats, possibly Angoras, which were | | | | actually obtain their full size until they |
| brought to the United States by New England | | | | reach three to five years of age. They love |
| seamen and the Vikings. | | | | to play and rarely meow. But their highly |
| | | | unusual soft, tiny voice can be heard as a |
| Unlike other cats that like to sit in your | | | | distinctive, chirping trill, which they will |
| lap and pester you for attention, the Maine | | | | use to entice their owners to play. |